Skepticism mires Trump’s Iowa steel plant project: ‘Promises are not the same as jobs’

The Trump administration has unveiled a $15bn steelworks in Lee county, Iowa, billed as the biggest in the country and to be run by India-based Mesabi Metallics. Doubts are growing about whether it will materialize, given the president's track record and the financial history of Mesabi's parent, Essar Global. Production is slated to start in 2030, but no site has been disclosed by Mesabi or local elected officials, and the company did not answer requests for comment, according to The Guardian.

Trump says construction has begun, yet NBC affiliate TV6 Investigates found no significant property purchases tied to the project this year and no permits before county supervisors. The plan was first meant for Minnesota, which tends to vote Democratic, and the move to Iowa comes as Republicans struggle ahead of the midterms.

Essar's Minnesota effort dates to 2007. Its subsidiary went bankrupt in 2016 after delays and financing trouble, and the state took back its mining leases in 2021. Former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton said he wants to see Essar's money on the table before work starts.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →